Philippines Raise Alarm Over New Chinese Structures at Scarborough Shoal

China's government has a long history of expanding its physical footprint in the Philippine exclusive economic zone, from small buoys and instrument towers to full-size military bases on reclaimed land. So when new structures began appearing at Chinese-occupied Scarborough Shoal last month, the Philippine government quickly objected - not just because of the intrusion on its sovereignty, but because any incremental installation could be a preface to a far larger buildout.

Scarborough Shoal has been effectively under Chinese control since 2012, when Philippine forces withdrew to end a protracted standoff. Since then, Philippine fishermen have had varying degrees of access to the outside and inside of the atoll, depending upon the prevailing policy of the China Coast Guard. The CCG maintains a steady presence of multiple cutters at the atoll, rotating vessels in and out with occasional augmentation from China's PLA Navy.

Aside from on-and-off installation of a barrier buoy line across the sole entrance to the lagoon, Chinese forces did little to maintain any fixed objects at the reef over the years, but that appears to be changing. Since October 2025, the Philippine government has spotted eight buoys, antennas and other structures at various locations around Scarborough Shoal. The largest is a floating structure of unknown purpose, improvised in appearance, which has been anchored in the middle of the inner lagoon since late last month.

The large floating structure drew particular objections from Manila, given its unusual size, and the Philippine government filed a formal diplomatic protest on Tuesday. China pushed back, calling the unusual object a "research" platform conducting normal activities. (Under UNCLOS, it is unlawful to conduct research in the EEZ of another coastal state without permission.)

"China has indisputable sovereignty over [Scarborough] and its adjacent waters," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian on Tuesday. "It is fully within China’s sovereign rights to carry out activities including scientific research at [Scarborough Shoal]. China urges the Philippines to stop all infringement activities, provocations and false accusations at sea."

The Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague ruled in 2016 that China has no legitimate sovereignty claims in the area under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea; China has disregarded the ruling.

The Philippine government remains concerned at the activity at Scarborough, given the region's history.

"There is a reason we cannot simply accept Beijing’s description of these as 'normal activities.' We have heard this before," wrote Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela on Thursday. "When the People’s Republic of China first occupied Mischief Reef in 1995, it assured the world that the structures it was putting up were nothing more than shelters for its fishermen. Today, Mischief Reef is a fully militarized artificial island — runway, hangars, radar, missile capabilities — sitting squarely inside the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone."

In connection with Manila's frequent objections to Chinese activity in the Philippine EEZ, China's foreign ministry announced Thursday that it was banning Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and his family from visiting China, Hong Kong or Macao. The ministry accused Teodoro of making "irresponsible remarks on China, which undermines China’s legitimate interests and sabotages China-Philippines relations." Teodoro responded later in the day, saying that he had no plans to visit and the travel ban was within China's rights to impose.